ONSLAUGHT OF NEW COMPETITORS, WOULD-BE DISRUPTORS

While Kelley Blue Book (KBB) has a 90-year history as the industry leading valuations company, the evolution of digital platforms has created an onslaught of would-be online competitors.

These disruptors have created compelling ads and new online apps – most have not delivered all they promised, however, their positioning has gotten them attention.

KBB on the other hand has access to highest quality and quantity of data to drive more accurate valuations but hadn’t taken advantage of it within their marketing.

THE THREAT

This threat was significant to KBB because they had failed to remain contextually relevant to Millennials and had allowed others to connect more memorably.

THE THREAT

This threat was significant to KBB because they had failed to remain contextually relevant to Millennials and had allowed others to connect more memorably.

BREAKING DOWN A COMPLEX ECOSYSTEM

KBB brought us in to give them insights into why their legacy product had failed to capture the public or dealer’s imagination and to re-design their program and its positioning.

For KBB’s B2B Customers, they failed to communicate how their products, when combined, could allow dealers to run their entire business.

For KBB’s B2C audience, they failed to deliver the tone and message that a new, digital audience expects.

INSIGHTS

A digital friendly visualization of KBB values

KBB needed a digital friendly visualization of KBB values updated for Millennials. The potential was huge since it would reposition KBB closer to the actual transaction, but only if it was adopted and understood.

A Clear Voice

KBB lacked a clear “voice” and the new one had to be millennial friendly – authentic, helpful, wry, knowledgeable and supportive of the brand’s industry leading “trust”

Dealership salespeople needed special training

The training had to fit their schedule, be short in duration, interactive, engaging and visually memorable

Salespeople on the floor needed a mobile interactive sales tool

One they could share with the customers that demystified KBB’s pricing methodologies and leveraged the brand trust. Plus another chance to connect KBB to their car shoppers.

The program had to be sold to dealerships

And then launched internally

Aligning With the Tone

New videos, brochures and POS assets had to be created aligned with the tone

INSIGHTS

A digital friendly visualization of KBB values

KBB needed a digital friendly visualization of KBB values updated for Millennials. The potential was huge since it would reposition KBB closer to the actual transaction, but only if it was adopted and understood.

A Clear Voice

KBB lacked a clear “voice” and the new one had to be millennial friendly – authentic, helpful, wry, knowledgeable and supportive of the brand’s industry leading “trust”

Dealership salespeople needed special training

The training had to fit their schedule, be short in duration, interactive, engaging and visually memorable

Salespeople on the floor needed a mobile interactive sales tool

One they could share with the customers that demystified KBB’s pricing methodologies and leveraged the brand trust. Plus another chance to connect KBB to their car shoppers.

The program had to be sold to dealerships

And then launched internally

Aligning With the Tone

New videos, brochures and POS assets had to be created aligned with the tone

SOLUTION

A SOLUTION TO A COMPLEX ECOSYSTEM

We helped design the Price Advisor Participating Dealer Program (PAPD) to fit this complex eco-system of B2B and B2C relationships.

PAPD became a comprehensive program that helps dealers to position their prices, train their people and engage with car shoppers in transparent pricing and car buying conversations. Car shoppers, funneled from online lead gen into dealerships, were looking for these kinds of interactions where they could transparently get to a fair market price.

Leveraging KBB’s reputation as the industry’s most trusted third party source of information was the keystone and making the brand more relevant was the glue.

THE TONE

SETTING the RIGHT tone for each audience

Videos & Learning Suite

As the literal voice and face for several of our video assets and the learning suite we used car influencer Micah Muzio, leveraging his millennial friendly fun & knowledgeable demeanor.

B2B Training & Assets

For B2B training and assets the tone had to relieve price anxiety, the fear that car shoppers have that they didn’t get a fair deal.

ADDITIONAL KEY FEATURES

Our goals and solution also featured these key elements:

START SPREADING THE WORD:

We created videos and several strategy decks to help convey Cox Automotive partner’s Goals, Objectives, and Roadmaps

TARGETING ”PROGRESSIVE” DEALERS:

We created an animated explainer video and sell sheet

ACTIVATION:

We knew resistance to any training would be high among sales staff so we created an engaging video based activation campaign to made the learning relevant and repositioned the KBB brand to be more relevant

INTERACTIVE PRODUCTS TO DEALERS:

We created a suite of three learning modules to help sales people understand KBB valuations, create conversations that diffuse price anxiety and establish trust. The great majority of new sales folks are Millennials so the tone shift was paramount.

We created an app, called the showroom tool, designed so that sales people could turn their tablet towards the customer and walk them through the nuances of pricing and purchasing a car.

ASSETS ACROSS MULTIPLE CHANNELS:

We supported the sales efforts with a variety of assets – sales sheets, in-store POS materials and a B2B Product Demonstration Website that simulates these products on an actual dealership website.